Policing the 1A: Lessons from the Field

• In Event: Mixed-Method Approaches to Evaluating Policing Partnerships, Policies, and Training

Abstract

In recent years, police agencies have been tasked with responding to an unprecedented number of First Amendment activities, including protests, mass demonstrations, and civil disturbances. The disparate response to these events highlighted the dearth of knowledge on how police agencies plan, prepare for, and manage protest events. To address this gap, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), with funding from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), fielded a nationally representative survey of police agencies, developing a national snapshot of the number of First Amendment (1A) activities that occurred in recent years around the country, and the policies, practices, and training police agencies have been adopted to manage them. The survey findings were supplemented by in-depth case studies in six cities. The case study approach allowed PERF to develop a richer picture of police response to 1A events. A synthesis of the findings resulted in several recommendations for police agencies, discussed here.

Authors

• Meagan Cahill, Police Executive Research Forum

• Dustin Richardson, Police Executive Research Forum

• Jeremy Barnum, Police Executive Research Forum